Digitalization in the oil and gas industry means that reliable connectivity sits at the heart of successful operations. Wellheads often need to achieve extended connectivity rapidly to meet unforeseen expansion opportunities, but until now many brownfield sites have been hampered by a lack of agility in existing systems. The launch of ABB’s XIO unlocks them from past technology choices by providing immediate connectivity expansion, which avoids the need for costly system upgrades.
The new smart remote I/O expansion unit works in conjunction with ABB’s RMC-100 Controller to offer easy expansion of up to 22 I/O modules, automating and enhancing production. It brings together individual islands of automation and enables the remote data connection for real-time analytics across field and enterprise.
A unique combination of features is brought together in the XIO. These include easy installment thanks to the XIO’s auto-detection configuration with pre-configured I/O. The smart remote expansion unit’s I/O modules include hot swappable features which have the advantage of also being backwards compatible. Along with 22 I/O modules, the XIO provides four Ethernet and eight Serial Ports with essential wireless and Bluetooth capabilities.
Bringing together these features in one unique digital solution means that the XIO helps oil and gas producers meet some of their key challenges. It addresses skill shortages because it is simple to install and offers one central point to monitor, reducing the number of tools to be learned and run. It also ensures greater safety across all areas of multiple sites by helping to increase the monitoring of process variables. As well as extending ABB’s RMC-100 controller and XSeries controllers, the XIO is compatible with a wide range of controllers across the market, underlining ABB’s industry commitment to open architecture across all areas of industrial automation.
Connectivity is what also ties devices, edge and the cloud together across standards into one homogenous system. By offering scalable digitalization, the XIO also opens up the digital future for greenfield operations.
